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dog flea

noun
  1. See under flea.
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Origin of dog flea

First recorded in 1835–45

flea

[flee]
noun
  1. any of numerous small, wingless bloodsucking insects of the order Siphonaptera, parasitic upon mammals and birds and noted for their ability to leap.
  2. either of two common fleas of the genus Ctenocephalides, the very small, black C. felis (cat flea) or the similar but larger C. canis (dog flea), both of which infest cats, dogs, and occasionally humans.
  3. any of various small beetles and crustaceans that leap like a flea or swim in a jumpy manner, as the water flea and beach flea.
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Idioms
  1. flea in one's ear,
    1. a disconcerting rebuke or rebuff: The next time he shows his face around here he'll get a flea in his ear.
    2. a broad hint.
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Origin of flea

before 900; Middle English fle, Old English flēah, flēa; cognate with German Floh; akin to flee
Can be confusedflea flee
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for dog flea

flea

noun
  1. any small wingless parasitic blood-sucking insect of the order Siphonaptera, living on the skin of mammals and birds and noted for its power of leaping
  2. any of various invertebrates that resemble fleas, such as the water flea and flea beetle
  3. flea in one's ear informal a sharp rebuke
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Word Origin

Old English flēah; related to Old Norse flō, Old High German flōh
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dog flea

flea

n.

Old English flea, from Proto-Germanic *flauhaz (cf. Old Norse flo, Middle Dutch vlo, German Floh), perhaps related to Old English fleon "to flee," with a notion of "the jumping parasite," or perhaps from PIE *plou- "flea" (cf. Latin pulex, Greek psylla; see puce).

Flea-bag "bed" is from 1839; flea circus is from 1886; flea collar is from 1953.

"A man named 'Mueller' put on the first trained-flea circus in America at the old Stone and Austin museum in Boston nearly forty years ago. Another German named 'Auvershleg' had the first traveling flea circus in this country thirty years ago. In addition to fairs and museums, I get as high as $25 for a private exhibition." ["Professor" William Heckler, quoted in "Popular Mechanics," February 1928. Printed at the top of his programs were "Every action is visible to the naked eye" and "No danger of desertion."]
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
dog flea in Medicine

flea

(flē)
n.
  1. Any of various small, wingless, bloodsucking insects of the order Siphonaptera that have legs adapted for jumping and are parasitic in the hair and feathers of warm-blooded animals.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Idioms and Phrases with dog flea

flea

In addition to the idioms beginning with flea

  • flea in one's ear, a
  • flea market

also see:

  • hurt a fly (flea)
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.